ANDREW TILGHMAN, Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle |
January 21, 2004

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A judge ordered a man convicted today of slapping his wife to take a yoga class as part of his one-year probation.

"It's part of anger management," County Criminal Court at Law Judge Larry Standley said of the ancient Hindu philosophy of exercise and well-being. "For people who are into it, it really calms them down."

Standley, a former prosecutor, has sometimes imposed year-long jail sentences for similar misdemeanor domestic assaults. But he said the case of James Lee Cross was unique.

Cross, a 53-year-old car salesman from Tomball, explained that his wife was struggling with a substance abuse problem and that he struck her on New Year's Eve during an argument about her drinking.

"He was trying to get a hold of her because she has a problem," Standley said after the court hearing. "I thought this would help him realize that he only has control over himself."

The sentence came as a surprise to Cross, who was told to enroll in a class and report back to Standley on his progress.

"I'm not very familiar with it," Cross said of yoga. "From what I understand, it may help in couple ways, not only as far as mentally settling, but maybe a little weight loss."

Darla Magee, an instructor at Yoga Body Houston in River Oaks, said she would recommend Cross take a basic yoga class emphasizing breathing and including a variety of postures - forward bends, back bends and twists.

"Yoga can help us to get rid of many emotional issues we might have," she said. "It's a spiritual cleanse."

Prosecutor Lincoln Goodwin agreed to a sentence of probation without jail time because Cross had no significant criminal history.

While Wednesday marked the first time Standley has ordered a defendant into a yoga class, he has tried other forms of "alternative sentencing."

He has ordered dozens of people convicted of drunk driving to keep a journal of news clippings about the crime to make them aware of the problem.

Harris County probation officials recently received a $20,000 grant to study whether Standley's drunk driving journal has any effect on reducing repeat offenses.

Nevertheless, the yoga sentence was unusual even for Standley.

"This is not a regular condition I make on people who beat up their spouse," he said. "But he was not your typical serial wife-beater type, based on what was presented to me."

Cross's wife, Wendy, said she thought yoga would be good for him. "I know there are a lot of benefits to meditation," she said.